FASHION COLLECTIONS FALL 2008:

THE BEST OF SHOW IN PARIS AND
LONDON

By Shine Anthony-Dharan

PARIS, 17 MARCH 2008  As talk of
recession, global warming and terrorism buzzed around the front rows, the
fashion pack were expecting more than usual from the designers this
season. The celebrities were notably scarce, the parties notably "green",
and the collections notably restrained. Anyone can sell a $5000 dress when
the Dow Jones is soaring, but when Wall Street starts to buckle, Fifth
Avenue feels its vibrations. And just as the worlds financial institutions
turn to the emerging markets for some much needed support, so does
fashion. China, Russia and India are fuelling the demand for luxurious and
ostentatious fashion like never before. The poor designers thus found
themselves in the tricky situation of having to simultaneously please two
very different customers. An organic cotton t-shirt with fur trim anyone?
Only in fashion do contradictions make such happy bedfellows.

There is an old wives tale that the luxury sector is
not affected by recession. Well, even if that were true, most fashion
houses make their money on the sales of accessories and cosmetics, not
clothing. The billionaires club probably will hold up the very top segment
of the market, but the middle-class woman who buys less perfume and
lipstick than usual will hurt the industry. In order to satisfy nervous
shareholders, the designers need to sell some clothes now. Ballgowns may
make good copy, but they don't pay the bills.

CHANEL Autumn / Winter 2008Photo courtesy of
Chanel

True to form, Karl Lagerfeld picked up on all major
global issues and literally spun them around on us. A giant rotating
carousel decked in pearls and tweeds set the stage for the Chanel
ready-to-wear show. Lagerfeld seemed to have taken inspiration from all
the little girls of the Upper East Side who secretly dress up in their
mothers Chanel. He replaced the plastic horses with oversize shoes, hats
and tweed jackets- haute playtime indeed. As always, Lagerfeld
discovered an ingenious new way to reinvent the house classics. This time
the famous tweed suits were frayed at the elbows in an ode to Coco
Chanel's propensity for injecting a little poverty into luxury. There was
a greater emphasis on daywear than usual, a multitude of denim skirts,
oversize tweeds and crochet dresses made up the bulk of the offering.

CHANEL Autumn / Winter
2008Photo courtesy of Chanel

In stark contrast to the last few seasons, and
probably as a response to fashions new mood, the accessories and
embellishments were kept to an appropriate minimum. Lagerfeld's color
palette was respectfully subdued with shades of grey and blush
intercepting what was otherwise a largely black and white collection.
Chanel presented the season's most convincing argument for bringing
hemlines down for winter. As well as the expected longer lengths,
Lagerfeld whipped up the cooler idea of long coats over short skirts.
Despite the something-for-everyone feel of the collection, there was
something reassuringly classic about it. As the Dow Jones nosedives, smart
shoppers will be looking for clothes that will not seem dated in six
months time.

CHANEL Autumn / Winter
2008Photo courtesy of Chanel

Young Indian designer Manish Arora shifted his show
from London to Paris for the first time this season. In contrast to
Chanel's newly pared down aesthetic, Arora developed his signature blazing
colors and heavily embellishment to deliver his best collection to date.
With skirts that seemed to depict epic stories within their embroidered
folds, Disney
characters peeking out of armored jackets and
pop art inspired mini-dresses, there was a lot going on here. Fortunately,
there were enough common themes to keep things cohesive, and more
importantly, sellable. Paris is famously supportive of upcoming talent and
it would be interesting to see if any of the big houses take a chance on
Arora by signing him up- the potential is certainly there.

Manish Arora : Autumn / Winter(Paris) Photography
by Yannis Vlamos

One of the great mysteries of Paris fashion is why the
heart wrenchingly beauty of Christian Lacroix's haute couture
rarely infuses his ready-to-wear collections. Although all couturiers
dilute their ideas for ready-to-wear, Lacroix seems to lose his sparkle
when faced with a budget. In keeping with fashions reflective mood, this
was a relatively restrained collection that focused on separates. Simply
gathered double duchesse skirts paired with sharply tailored
jackets and feathered blouses stood out amongst an unfortunate spattering
of brocade and gold leather. The most successful pieces were the stunning,
one shimmering black sheath dress was decorated with nothing but a slight
gathering at the hip- and that's all it needed.

Christian Lacroix

Still, the house is today doing better financially
than it has in a long time. You may not see many Lacroix stores in London,
Paris, or New York, but they are all over Saudi Arabia. Arab women have
always appreciated Lacroix's over the top styling and he is now targeting
his collection towards his best customers, and perhaps a gold leather
jacket studded with multicolored gems looks more wearable peeking out from
under a hijab. Thankfully, Thames and Hudson's wonderful new tome
Christian Lacroix on Fashion reminds us of Lacroix's utter genius
as a couturier. Written to coincide with the couturiers wildly successful
exhibition at Paris's Musée des Arts Décoratifs ,
the book examines Lacroix's couture against the historical costumes that
often inspired them. The books concept works so perfectly that more than a
few copies were spotted stuffed into the Bottega Veneta totes that lined
the front rows.

Christian Lacroix: Historicism

Speaking of Bottega Veneta, Tomas Maier's faultless
collection for the house was Milan's best argument for a return to
simplicity. Here, finally, were clothes for wealthy women who do not care
to be covered in sequins or furs. Every woman in the audience would have
ripped off what she was wearing in exchange for exit 15, exquisite grey
cashmere trousers and a black pea coat so perfectly nonchalant that it
drew audible gasps. Maier understands that when attempting to simplify,
details become key. A stunning grey felted wool dress for example, was
shaped solely by three horizontal seams crossing the midriff. Fold-over
crocodile clutches and crushable totes in exotic skins finished off each
effortlessly luxurious look. Small wonder that the brand is doing
phenomenally well with the most exacting of customers- the Japanese.
Quality like this made many of the other "luxury" houses look decidedly
mass-market.

London

What many of the London shows may have lacked in
couture like quality, they made up for in enthusiasm. For the last few
years London Fashion Week has suffered a
hemorrhaging of design talent as most of its biggest names defrocked to
Paris and New York. Although this clears the path for new talent, the
English are notoriously bad at promoting young designers. The few that
made it to the catwalks had to resign themselves to the fact that most
fashion editors no longer bother to attend the London shows. Still, there
were some potential gems to be found in the city. The Basso and Brook
presentation, although overly styled with silly hats, played an innovative
game with form and structure. A savagely knitted fern green suit struck
the right balance between chic and editorial, as did the first look, a
long grey coat of shredded wool. What the show lacked was cohesiveness,
the looks were so varied that there was no clear point of view.

Basso and Brook : Autumn
/ Fall 2008Photography by Fernanda Calfat

Bora Asku's show on the other hand, was almost too
cohesive. By sticking to a strict color palette of muted lilacs, browns
and black, Asku missed out on the chance of having a showstopper. Although
there was some great workmanship here, everything looked a little samey.
The frilly dresses and blouses were also a little too close to Stefano
Pilati's Spring 2005 Yves Saint Laurent collection for comfort. Although a
great talent, Asku has the unfortunate tendency to channel other
designers. His graduate collection at Central St. Martins was
extraordinarily good but it did lend itself to John Galliano's aesthetic.
As soon as Asku finds strength in his own voice, he can take his career to
the next level.

Ashish:Autumn / Fall 2008Photography by Ian Gillett

While most of London went for the grown up look, the
relatively new designer Ashish followed Karl Lagerfeld's lead by treading
a more girlish path. Great sweeping patchwork skirts, oversize grey
sweatshirts covered in tassels, slouchy tailored jackets and teeny-weeny
sequined dresses somehow came together to make a standout collection.
Ashish, unlike many of his colleagues, managed to capture the young,
carefree spirit of London. As fashion enters into a period of uncertainty,
only those with a sure foot will survive. Faced with less disposable
income, consumers will think much more carefully about what they purchase.
The best way forward for today's designers is to forge a clear identity,
address the needs of individual markets, and wait for the carousel to
swing round to better times.

Shine Anthony-Dharan is a British fashion
writer and designer based in New York. He covers fashion, beauty and
interior design for Culturekiosque.com. Mr. Anthony-Dharan last wrote on
London Fashion Week.